My love for reading began long before I could even read on my own. Every night, my grandmother would sit with me in her rocking chair on the sidewalk outside her house, watching the world go by, and tell me fairy tales—Cinderella, Pinocchio, Rapunzel. My grandfather also told me stories, but he would invent them as he went. I preferred my grandmother’s tales, filled with princesses and heroines.
I was a little perfectionist, though! I would correct her as she told the stories: ‘That’s not how it goes, Tita! Remember!’ She would laugh and try again, until finally, probably tired of my insistence, she began buying me fairy tale books from Reader’s Digest. She read them to me, now with the words exactly as written. I loved it. But when she had to work, I would take the books and slowly begin connecting the words I had memorized from her stories with the printed words. By the time I was four, I was already reading on my own.
That early love for stories has stayed with me all my life. Reading became my favorite activity, the one that relaxes me, inspires me, and connects me with the world. Today, I am passionate about sharing that love with children, helping them discover the joy and wonder that comes from opening a book. Encouraging a love for reading from an early age is not just about teaching literacy—it’s about inspiring imagination, creativity, and a lifelong passion for learning.
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